News

The dangers faced by journalists around the world have been a prominent subject in the news lately. From reporters captured by ISIS to those whose computers have been hacked by their own governments, attacks on journalists come in many forms.

During a panel discussion marking the one-year anniversary of the imprisonment of three Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt, ICFJ Vice President of Programs Patrick Butler emphasized the importance of freedom of the press in Egypt and around the world.

Al Jazeera’s Bahar Mohamed, Mohamed Fahmy and Peter Greste were arrested in Cairo on Dec. 29, 2013 after interviewing members of the Muslim Brotherhood, an opposition group banned in Egypt shortly after Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s takeover.

ICFJ’s Vice President of Programs, Patrick Butler, recently participated in Voice of America Urdu’s first Student Town Hall panel discussion, where he emphasized the importance of new and emerging journalism technologies but also stressed the value of traditional reporting practices.

Thought leaders from the International Center for Journalists, including ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan and two Knight International Journalism Fellows, headlined panel discussions on media innovation at the Guadalajara International Book Fair.

Sponsored by the Universidad de Guadalajara, the nine-day fair featured panel discussions and workshops aimed at tackling challenges faced by journalists around the world.

During a recent visit to Kenya for an ICFJ exchange program, PBS NewsHour editor Ellen Rolfes reported on a groundbreaking program: Teaching girls to save money so they will be less dependent on men – and therefore less susceptible to sexual assault, pregnancy and HIV. PBS.org published the story on World AIDS Day.

The Safe and Smart Savings program is offered at Zeyln Academy, a school in Kenya’s largest slum, where an alarming number of young girls are susceptible to HIV and sexual abuse.

On Dec. 4, ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan spoke at the Hackathon of Science and Journalism Innovation, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank. The gathering took place at Guadalajara International Book Fair.

Here's an adapted version of her remarks:

We all know how much technology is transforming the news industry. There is unprecedented potential now for science and tech to help deepen news coverage, expand access to information and engage citizens in the news process.

The Columbia Journalism Review featured a column written by ICFJ’s president, Joyce Barnathan, in which she commends the hit podcast "Serial" for making “journalism more transparent” and adding “tremendous credibility to our field.”

"Serial" chronicles reporter Sarah Koenig’s investigation of the 1999 murder of a high school student in Baltimore. It has been downloaded or streamed more than 5 million times and averages over 1.5 million listeners per episode.